


Backlog

by Kugawing



Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm bad at romance so lets struggle through Relationship Development together, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, Revenged Ending | R (Henry Stickmin), Selectively Mute Henry Stickmin, hopefully more fluff than angst but you never know, i don't have an ending planned machine go brrr, the Revenged Ending but the 'drop' option is correct, there are so many character names so they're not gonna be included in the tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26285089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kugawing/pseuds/Kugawing
Summary: Henry had betrayed the Government. Charles had seen the two dummies with his own eyes. The heartbreak was crushing - hadn’t there been some sort of connection between the two? He was sure the fluttering in his chest hadn't been one sided. It had taken strength to not use his Greatest Plan as the airship faded further and further into the distance. Something must have happened on that airship to prompt such a turn of sides for that charming thief that dared to steal his heart.The Toppats had betrayed Henry. Tossed into the ocean and fitted with mechanical supplements to keep him alive, Henry decides to take them down once and for all. Standing above the carnage and seeing the government closing in, he feels the looming presence of another series of options sprawling out before him. Technically he did the government’s task, even if it wasn’t in their anticipated time frame, right? Sadly, the government doesn't agree, and the last of the Toppat clan has to be dealt with.Or: Henry cheats death and Charles has to deal with the consequences.
Relationships: Charles Calvin/Henry Stickmin
Comments: 44
Kudos: 311





	1. Chapter 1

The heat of the recent explosion did absolutely nothing to ease the frigid cold. How long he had laid in the water around the Wall before a blonde doctor grabbed him and, frankly, brought him back from the dead? It'd been lost to him. He'd doubt he'd ever see the doctor again unless he somehow wound up at the Wall once again and somehow managed to die in those frigid waters. If Henry could help it, he'd never set foot on the same continent as that facility.

Foresight of a kind happened to be Henry's nifty little ability. He could see little tiny glimpses of the future here and there every once in a while. Waking up on a helicopter, he knew that if he wanted to stick to his wild and free life of crime, he'd have to betray the government. Served them right for kidnapping him in all honesty. They claimed to have done their research - "you've been quite elusive" being a comment that flickers to mind - but they clearly knew not of what disasters followed him. He'd taken over the Toppat clan, and he had thought he'd secured his future. He had seen nothing wrong until the last second, when the Wall descended on him and took him away. In hindsight, he had a feeling that he knew exactly who had tipped them off to where Henry Stickmin, new leader of the Toppat clan, lived.

"I just wanted to look you in the eyes as I took it all back." That one statement had repeated on loop within his mind, refusing to budge from the little track it had carved in his brain. The phantom feelings of cold water remained, even if he was staring at the disintegrated form of the ringleader's Right Hand Man. The warmth didn't ease it, being far away from those waters didn't either. Revenge was due, now that arguably the most dangerous person within the clan was dealt with.

The struggle is brief, Reginald's attempts to pull a gun on Henry deemed null when metal backed force holds him down. The ship is losing altitude swiftly, and Henry again sees choices neatly sprawl out before him. He could fly ahead to that odd looking base the airship was on a course for, and let the airship crush the Toppat clan's traitorous leader. It would wind up with him getting crushed as well, would it not? He didn't want to test how his metal supplements held up against entire airships crashing into him. Next up: stapling Reginald to the ship to let the crash do it's work. Henry had a feeling that it would work, but the other not surviving or someone rushing in to pry him free after Henry left was likely.

Something more fitting unfolded in his mind. Henry grabbed the other harshly, dragging him with little care over to the broken windshield of the airship. Glass crunches underfoot, and the painful gasps that Reginald releases allows him to know that some glass had cut the other. He throws the older man over the side of the airship, held only by one of Henry's hands. Henry stares down, feeling fury finally overtake those phantom feelings of cold.

"No, y-you don't have to do this!" Reginald insisted. Henry can feel a scowl crawl to his face. What sort of absurd statement was that? He glances ahead, hearing warning signals blare from the base that was steadily approaching. There was little more time for contemplating. Action had to be taken. Henry releases his grip, and watches the leader of the Toppat clan fall. He falls and flails in the air, hand remaining outreached for the hand of that he had betrayed in similar fashion. Then, he disappears into the canopy, and Henry extends his wings to charge down after. He had to make sure of the other's death - he had to make sure that were would be no revenge of his own revenge. An inspection of a mangled mess in a canopy later, and Henry breathes a sigh of relief.

It's over. He'd won, exacted his revenge. Hovering in the air just above the canopy, the noise of airship against rocket grating in his ears. A wince follows, spiraling a little in the air as he struggles against the sound. Hopefully that would be the rest of those traitors dealt with. Fury fading, the frigid feeling of water lapping at him takes hold. His arms wrap around his chest, before he feels his body go stiff. Over the noise of metal against metal, explosions, and faint cries and pleas, he can hear a noise that he had not been expecting: the revolving blades of a helicopter.

Henry spun in the air, turning to come face to face with a series of helicopters. Government helicopters, their familiar shade of green a welcomed and tarnished sight. He'd been seen, and he pins the blame on Right Hand Man's massive energy blast. A giant red airship soaring through the sky was pretty hard to miss as well. Perhaps they'd been following the airship? Uncertain.

"Henry? Is that you?" A few helicopters whir ahead, passing the revived thief who hovered in the air. "Oh, wait. Check, check, this is Charles speaking. Did you hear me? Is that really you? Hold on, let me open the door so you're not just floating there. Man, being able to fly on your own sounds awesome." Henry squints a little, watching the door slide open on the helicopter. He can agree that hovering is hard, especially after the beating he'd taken from the Right Hand Man. Mechanical or not, what remained as flesh was aching hard.

Two options, he could see them floating just before him. He could enter that helicopter and likely be ambushed for betraying the government. He could try to earn his pardon by trying to explain that he'd taken down the Toppat clan - and he internally laughed because that had been his original goal, and he'd technically just now completed it. Or, he could fly away as fast as he could. Henry was certain that his new mechanical strength would aid his heists well. If he could take down the entire Toppat clan, then he was sure he could snatch a few shiny and shimmering goodies.

Tempting it was, but something pulled at his chest. Numb from the phantom feeling of frigid water that refused to budge without a surge of fury, the inexperienced flight brought Henry over to the doorway. A thought of getting pardoned so he could do more crimes on a clean slate briefly came to mind, and Henry tucked it away for later. The helicopter was empty spare Charles, which was quite surprising. Why was he alone? Henry was reminded that yes, there had been other helicopters, and there were still a few flying around nearby, so technically the pilot wasn't alone.

"We'd been following that airship for a while now, about fifteen hours now. I'd been doing some recon near the Wall and I saw the airship there. I guess they were trying to break out some of their own, you know?" Charles said, thumbs tapping against the side of the wheel. Henry took a seat on the floor, wincing at the ache that decided to settle in. The pilot spun in his seat briefly, taking a glance at the thief. "Oh, man, you look messed up," he continued.

Henry slowly exhaled, trying to find some sitting position that was comfortable. Resting hid metal hand on his knee felt awkward. He knew just a few hours ago he'd been able to feel his knee through his hand, and now all he could feel was metal against his knee. So caught up with exacting his revenge he hadn't noticed the feelings of the replacements against his flesh. He shrugged, the best answer he could offer to Charles.

He spun back around in his chair, flicking around with the controls. "So... I think we all saw that showdown you had on the airship's roof," Charles said, continuing to chatter away through the silence. "Double crossed or something? I mean, I knew you were the Toppat's new leader but _man_ you really, you really gave that guy a beating. And the entire clan." A brief pause to flip some switches around, and the helicopter began to move forward. "I'm gonna come in for a landing, but I think what you did will do good for, uh, not getting you arrested right off the bat."

Henry scoffed at such a comment. Getting arrested? After taking down the Toppat clan? He supposed that leading the group was grounds for arrest, but he'd just taken them down. He still had a lot of energy left in him! He would burn the helicopters to the ground if he had to. He prodded at his foresight, and grumbled when it practically winked at him and told him to be patient. Finicky powers were the absolute worst.

As the helicopter descended from the sky, he felt a surge of worry creep and prod at the frigid cold that overtook his body. Now he was beginning to think that the cold was coming from the metal, unwarm and unfeeling. His spine and his arm, all metal. No core to generate warmth, he guessed. Henry cringed a little at the thought, but the only other person present was too busy humming fanfare while landing his flying machine to notice. "Alright, we've landed!" He announced after a soft thud of the helicopter's wheels contacting the ground.

A few members of the Toppat clan were still scurrying about. Those that hadn't been inside the base - although now Henry could see it looked more like an object to put into space with the rockets attached - were being steadily round up by the government's forces. Charles came to stand next to him, giving his normal arm a small nudge. Henry stiffened a little, but managed not to recoil.

Amidst the crowd, Henry noticed a familiar face approach. That general, the one that had sent him to the Toppat clan in the first place. He squinted, preparing himself for whatever it was that the other seemed to be stewing over. Behind him was an armed soldier, and Henry scoffed at the thought of just one soldier being present to try to keep him contained. "I'll be damned." He couldn't quite figure out what emotion was behind those words.

"Um, sir, I'm sure you remember Henry," Charles butted in, shuffling forward to somewhat place himself between the general and Henry. It did nothing to ease the tension Henry felt. The other's face was glaring, if not in a confused manner.

"I sure do remember him, sending us on a wild goose chase in the desert for some dummies," Galeforce grumbled. He moved closer, staring at Henry. He, of course, stared right back. "Usurped the Toppat clan, and now brought the whole group to their knees. I'm not sure sure what fancy-shmancy plan this was, but it was absolutely absurd every step of the way." A pause, glancing to the soldier that stood behind him. "I guess you technically did give us the evidence we needed to attach them to their crimes."

A shrug came from Henry. If that was how the government chose to perceive it, then they could take it in such a way. "Do I need to go and fetch that pardon, sir?" Charles asked, feet shifting. The humidity of the jungle was only now making itself known to Henry, his head briefly tipping up. How odd it felt, to be warm and cold at the same time. He rubbed a shoulder with his remaining organic hand, face briefly scrunching up as an ache formed. 

"Not just yet," Galeforce interjected, a hand outstretching to halt Charles from where the pilot had begun to move forward. "Not all of the Toppat clan have arrived yet. That rocket hadn't even been loaded yet, so their supplies are likely still coming in. I think I foresee another mission for you to do to earn your pardon." Henry couldn't decide if it was a smirk or a wince on the general's face, and so he elected that both was a prompt and just summary. "Train tracks here suggest that's the method they're using. I think our swift apprehension means they're still on their way here with whatever wealth they're bringin'."

"Me and Henry could make a pretty good team, don't you think, sir?" Charles offered, giving the revived thief a glance and a smile. Ever the blank stare was returned to the pilot, not that Henry really felt the energy to emote. Slowly he blinked, lifting up one of his hands. Did... did his body need to be charged now? He grimaced, the hand that had rubbed his shoulder now rubbing his face. "And it means I could keep him from... you know. Getting blackmailed or something."

"You're still going on about that theory? Why would the Toppats want to blackmail someone into being their leader?" The general groaned with a small shake of his head. It did make Henry think, though; if the Wall was going after the Toppat clan, Reginald's rapid promotion of Henry made sense. Perhaps he hadn't been sold out, but it had been convenient in every single way for the deceased Toppat ringleader. Deeming Charles' comment ill faith in the presence of Henry would likely do no good, and so after another moment he stilled and crossed his arms. "Alright. You two will capture the remaining Toppat clan members when they roll in. I don't want any more funny business!" The order was clear and direct, and with that he made his leave.

Henry watched the other stalk off with the other soldier behind him. Trying to move his mechanical arm yielded zero result, and he felt panic swiftly blossom. Grunting he tried to turn his back a little, and it was to no avail. Feet shuffling back a little - much to the concern of Charles - he tried to regain his balance. Shit. Absolute shit. What was the point of being incredibly strong if he had to get plugged up to something like someone's phone? It was absolutely ridiculous!

That train of thought pittered away, eyes widening and breathing speeding up. Here he was, surrounded by potential enemies, and he couldn't move. His balance was absolutely screwed and only one of his arms were working. A grunt caught Charles' attention, and he spun around just in time for Henry to fall onto his metallic spine. "Henry!" The shout was heard, albeit muddled. As the world went dark again and his mind slipped into unconciousness, Henry was simply glad that this time it wasn't in frigid arctic waters.


	2. Chapter 2

First word 'fuck' second word 'this' and third word 'shit' were the process of Henry's thoughts as he blinked awake. Of course, the swinging light above and the familiar silver and green hue of a government building prompted him to swiftly shut his eyes again. His head was absolutely killing him, a headache of proportions that he'd really only felt when he dared to restrain his usual 'grab a shiny thing' motives. Of course, waking up usually led to some absolute clusterfuck of shenanigans, and so he hesitated briefly on moving or opening his eyes. Clawing at foresight was a rough task to do through the ache, but it was something that needed to be done. Ever helpful, all it cheekily provided was that if he had stapled Reginald, he would have died too. 

Comforting, Henry supposed, but also useless in the current scenario. His mechanical hand is finally able to move again, twitching one finger at a time and listening to the subtle whirring of the limb. He remains silent and still for a few moments, and upon hearing no voices, allowed himself to rise. His assumption was correct, definitely in a government building. A blanket had been placed on him at some point, and a swift glance around leaves him with somewhat decent information. Alone in the room, at least. On a bed, cot, whatever. Turning around, he can see a cable stuck to his spine around his neck. Likely charging him after he'd blacked out. Fuck having a limit, he could fix that later, and he yanked the cord out.

There was a table next to the cot, and the thief turned to investigate the contents. A notepad, a pencil - probably for him to use to communicate with - and a note already scribbled out and put underneath some fake-gold looking object. Henry, of course, felt disgusted that the government thought he couldn't tell the difference between something that was plastic and shimmered like gold, and the real deal. Nonetheless, he removed the shiny object to snatch the letter underneath. ' _Gone to get breakfast, will be back in half an hour. -charles'_

A sigh came from Henry, scooting back in the cot. Foolish government. First they underestimated his ability to tell plastic from the real thing - first as in their first failure of the day - and now they were leaving him alone in a room by himself? He gave the note another glance, squinting. An hour from when? There wasn't even a clock in the room, and it warranted a frustrated grumble. Henry turned to slide off the cot, leaving his feet dangling over the side. With the blanket gone, he felt the cold settling in once again. Unnerving, uncomfortable. He stood and walked around the cot to the table.

Stripping another piece of paper from the notepad, Henry figured it was time for a classic trick in the books to try and find secret information. He turned Charles' note over to the back, gently scribbling against it. Any indents of a page above should have revealed themselves. Alas, the notepad seemed to be fresh, and the thief was left rubbing his shoulder aimlessly. "Oh, hey Henry! I see you got my note!" The voice caused Henry to jerk towards the doorway, which was still open. Charles had arrived, doing his best to hold two different dishes in both hands. "You seem to be doing better. Had me worried when you locked up a while ago. You writing something?"

At that question, Henry decided to stash the paper away for another time. A shake of his head followed, and he watched as the pilot moved closer and placed the food on the table. Finding himself curious, Henry decides to let his eyes drift away from the door and to the meal present. Normal military food, Henry supposed they didn't even have anything better. Mind already turning it over, and once again mental hands clawing at his foresight, he begins to think over what exactly he should make of the meal. The foresight presents nothing, which meant that this was not a life or death decision he was about to make. He was pretty sure that he wasn't going to be able to eat this without water- and then he snapped his head down, looking at his spine.

Right. No stomach. It was all metal now. How did he eat? Could he even eat? How would he get energy to what little remained organic of him. His gaze flickered to the side. If the Right Hand Man wasn't dead, perhaps he could ask him. That thought was immediately stomped down by remembering a frigid toss into cold ocean. It was good that he was dead, his mechanical hand tightening. During Henry's internal debate, Charles had already begun to eat. Even the pilot seemed a little annoyed with what he'd brought in to eat, if the slightly reddened face and poking the soggy food with his fork was anything to go by.

"So," Charles said after managing one singular bite of his meal. "What sort of plan do you have in mind for capturing the rest of the Toppat clan? I've got some ideas too!" He reached over and nudged the notepad and pencil over to the thief. Deciding that he was still too groggy to start planning for that, he decided that he was going to take the topic in an entirely different direction. He took the pencil and the notepad, gently tapping the pencil against his remaining organic hand. He'd get used to not having a normal spine and arm eventually, or so he hoped.

After he finished writing, he handed the notepad back to Charles. "Um. We're currently at the government base about quarter an hour from the Toppat clan's launch site. It was the closest and safest place we could go to. You were out for maybe two hours? I'm not sure, uh, how long you were out after I went to get breakfast. You gonna eat that?" The pilot then asked, pointing to the terrible excuse for food and slid the notepad back over. Henry's scrunched up face gave his answer, and Charles turned his head away. "It was all I could really find."

A hand raised, gently rubbing the side of his head. The headache from waking up was still lingering. Henry decided to walk back around the table, taking a seat on the cot. "You're still healing," the words of that blonde doctor flicker to mind. Henry hadn't even gotten her name before he'd blasted off to seek his revenge. His hands grabbed the blanket and threw it lazily over his lap. Henry pushed the thoughts of the doctor aside aside, deciding to try and take a bite of the food. Immediately he gagged, jerking back and furiously shaking his head. It tasted absolutely awful! The texture and flavor did not go together by any means, and a fierce recoil followed suit.

"Military food isn't your gig, huh," Charles said. Henry forced himself to swallow, and his expression was absolutely befuddled and disgusted. A snort came from the pilot, waving one of his hands. "Don't worry, after you earn your pardon you'll be able to.... have all the nice food that you like." Something sounded forced in the other's words, but Henry didn't feel any need to pry. It seemed as if he was still able to eat, even if from his neck to his legs he was metallic through and through. Skilled doctor, he had to admit. "Do you have any plans for what you're gonna do after this?" Charles asked.

A simplistic shrug was all Henry could think of. He snagged the notepad and stared at it for a long and hard moment. Alright, with a little bit of food in him, he needed a distraction from the awful taste and a plan to make sure he never had to taste such a disgusting thing ever again. He began to slowly sketch out his plans for taking out the rest of the Toppat clan. His drawing skills weren't all that great in his opinion. The most he'd ever doodled was when he'd been planning his bank heist. Or had it been the diamond heist? Headache still muddling his thoughts, he put pencil to paper and began to slowly doodle and write. Henry had a new variable he needed to take into account other than Charles this time: his new mechanized body.

Simple plans work until things get convoluted. Henry gently rubbed his chin, looking at the slowly branching tree of options and ideas. Foresight did help him narrow down which options he should try to prevent (something about a gun shooting swords), but not all of them. It would come to him right as the option needed to be made, which was an absolute annoyance. He could fly now, so he didn't have to worry about falling off cliffs or into any gaps. Going after the train when it arrived seemed to be a good bet. Following the train tracks from the helicopter would also work.

Henry was then made acutely aware that Charles was staring at him, wide eyed, having not touched his food for the solid while that Henry had been working. He lifted his head and squinted at the pilot, face again reddening before he shoveled down another mouthful of his meal. "Sorry, the food is just... well, you know how it is, you tried some. Gotta take a breather in each bite." The other averted his gaze, earning a squint from Henry. Suspicious, which was odd since Charles absolutely never struck him as a suspicious type. Flipping over the page, Henry quickly scribbled down a question and tore the paper, sliding it across the Charles.

It took a moment for the other to dare to look back at Henry. It took even longer for Charles to notice the paper, the pilot blinking slowly before hastily snatching it up. "Oh. Uh, that theory that the general mentioned? It's nothing important. Just figured that something had happened on the air ship to drop those two dummies. Nothing- it's nothing important." A nervous laugh followed the explanation. Henry felt suspicion rise up once again. A simple 'hm' sounded, and he lowered his attention back to his plan. A few more notations and thinking through how exactly he was going to keep all the Toppats from running off and escaping, and a plan had been made. 

Henry tapped the pencil against his metallic hand a few times, listening to the reverb of the metal. He took the paper he had written down on before, scribbling out another question before sliding it back to Charles. He switched the pencil to his mechanical hand, thumping it against the table in a slow and methodical manner. The pilot read it over faster than the last. "Me? I'll be supervising to make sure that nothing goes wrong, like last time. And I'll also be providing help whenever you need me- I mean, whenever possible." The pilot adjusts his headset a little, leaning back in his chair. "Oh, man, this is gonna be so awesome! You and me, we're gonna make the greatest plan!" A pause, eyes briefly flickering to the side as Charles reconsidered his words. "Well, not _the_ greatest plan, since I don't think I'll be able to crash my helicopter into anything, so it'll just be _a_ greatest plan."

An incredulous look was given to the pilot, Henry's face scrunched in a way that he didn't think was possible. A gentle prod of his foresight gifted him a glimpse of another timeline. Sitting on top of broken floor, a guard crushed beneath. Phone in hand, he had two options. This was the other option, the one that he had rejected at the time out of worry for the consequence of his betrayal during his airship infiltration. He dialed the government instead of the Toppats, Charles came and picked him up, he pulled him up unlike how his actual choice had left him being thrown down, the frigid water never claimed him-

A shake of his head brought him back to the current. Pencil now in mechanical hand, he hadn't realized it had snapped until he went to return to writing. Slowly the thief blinked, tapping at the revealed midsection of the pencil with his normal hand. "Ouch," came a simplistic comment from Charles, who had another forkful of food in hand. Such reminded Henry that he needed to eat at least a little more. He knew not how long he had before that train would come rolling in. Other variables such as if they knew the launch site had been raided was also unknown. 

Finally, his sketched out branch of options had been narrowed to only a few open ended variables. Drop on the train from the sky, block a tunnel (or just block the rest of the track in general, the method for doing such still up in the air), get Charles to put a field around the train to keep the remaining Toppats from escaping, and then allow the government to move in. Easy. He traced along the path with a finger, another thoughtful hum sounding from him.

"Got everything figured out? Lemme see," Charles said. He shuffled over behind Henry, and only then he realized that Charles had been standing the entire time. He supposed the other was near always sitting, being a helicopter pilot and all. Standing would probably do him good. Henry hadn't ever allowed anyone to see his plans before. The branching methods were odd and confusing, and Henry by no means was about to try and scribble out how foresight worked or branching timelines or all his failures that he managed to avoid. Good reason to work alone. Less variables, less chances for other people to screw up - or to screw him over, his mind again flickering to his slow descent from the side of a red colored airship. If he wanted this pardon, though, and for Charles to actually act on the plan, the other would have to see.

Henry turned the notepad a little, Charles standing behind him. "I can fly us in on my helicopter," he immediately offered after figuring out where the base of the 'options map' was. Then a pause, gaze averting again. Henry figured asking why the other was acting so odd could be saved for after his pardon was earned. Yet again, would he even still be in contact with Charles afterwards? He did have the other's phone number. Yes, he'd stay in contact. To which degree, Henry was uncertain. Charles looked over the plan a few times, before speaking again. "A sword gun? Where in the world did you get this idea from? Sticky grenades? I don't think I've ever seen a plan styled this way."

Grabbing the other paper again, Henry struggled to write with now only half the writing material working. ' _Accounting for everything._ ' Simple, to the point. The less he had to say the better. He turned to show the pilot the paper, who hummed and nodded his head. That seemed to satisfy the other's curiosity while he finished reading over the plan. He eyed the food again, deciding that one more bite would be good enough. A wheeze came from him as he forced himself to swallow, and a shudder followed after. Henry propped his head against his metal hand, allowing his eyes to briefly close. His headache remained, and he didn't bother to look when he heard Charles set down the notepad.

"Definitely a good plan we've got going in," Charles said. Henry could hear the faintest noise come from the other's headset, the words too garbled for him to actually make out. "Oh! It seems that the train has been spotted. It'll be passing near here in about two hours. You should get some more rest before then. Don't need you powering down like you did last time. Your eyes were still open and everything, super weird." The pilot continued with a vague gesture being made to the cot. A suspected glance was given to the door, and a small shuffle came from Charles. "Um. I can stay in here if you want! Make sure nobody sneaks in, if that's what you're worried about." 

There were unexpected options presented to him after that comment. He could have Charles stay, or tell him to go. Neither particularly mattered, neither had any bearing on whether or not Henry would live through this mission. A shrug of his shoulders followed suit. Something about the shrug seemed to make Charles happy, and the pilot finally wheeled a chair over. He hadn't sat down yet, instead curiously inclining his head. "Do you want me to plug you back in or can you- do you want help charging back up?" The other changed his method of speaking halfway through. Nervous about what, Henry knew not. It warranted the narrowing of his eyes and a slight frown as he scooted back in the bed. He grabbed the end of the cable, looking it over, noting which way it was flipped. An arm reached up, and he began trying to plug the cord in.

_Plink_ , went the cable against the upper portion of his spine. In rapid succession and growing frustration, Henry tried to crane his head around to see where exactly he needed to be plugging it in. He reached up with his mechanical hand at first, and promptly put his organic hand to his face when he realized that trying to feel for the opening with a hand that had no nerves was just as useless as trying to bribe Rupert Price. Oh. So that's why the soldier next to Galeforce had looked familiar, the thought barelling into his head at record speed. "Here, let me try." Charles moved around the table and chair to the cot's side. He took the cable from Henry and a pittering of energy allowed Henry to know that the cable had connected. "Th-there we go!" The pilot nodded his head as he scampered back to the chair and took a seat.

Deciding not to sleep, Henry instead leaned back against the cot. How peculiar the other was acting: from having theories to seeming so easily startled? It was odd, and Henry knew that he'd get to the bottom of it. Before or after the mission? He was uncertain. His mechanical hand stretched to grab the notepad and pencil (how convenient, he briefly thought), and decided that he would rather stay awake instead of sleep even with Charles standing guard. Mind continuing down that trend, Henry's gaze turned to Charles (who seemed to be looking at everything in the room _but_ Henry). Carefully he scribbled out a simple question, and he handed the paper to the pilot. ' _What theory did you have about the Toppats and I_?'

The reddening of the other's face happened once again, earning a small huff from Henry. "It's.. it's a bit of a weird story. I think it'd be best if we saved it for after we..." a pause, gaze turning expectantly in a seemingly random direction, "completed the mission." Unsatisfied with the answer (and confused as to why the other said those three words in such a way) Henry gave a nod nonetheless. His gaze turned to his metallic arm, and shivered. He reached for the blanket and bunched it up over himself again, grumbling all the while. Patience was not his strong suit, he knew it well after he immediately went for the Tunisian diamond after it was revealed on television. Waiting seemed to be the only option he had. Fine by him, perhaps it would help this headache fade away.

Henry decided that he'd try to figure out how he was going to not immediately get shot down by the Toppat clan on approach in the meanwhile.


	3. Chapter 3

Charles was normally more talkative than this, Henry noted. Whenever he dared to give another timeline a glance, and it happened to involve the pilot, it tended to revolve around him blathering on and on. Why the pilot wasn't so talkative currently was quite odd. In another timeline, he for some reason felt a need to suffocate himself while the pilot rambled endlessly on and on about whatever it was that suited him. Henry couldn't speak for other versions of himself, but boy did he consider that a stupid way to die.

"I uh, I think I see the train up ahead!" Speaking of talking, Henry was fairly certain those were the first words the other had said since they'd boarded the helicopter. He could've just as easily flown himself, but ensuring that he had enough energy to strike down the last of the Toppats was necessary. He didn't want to even glance at timelines where he would wind up frozen and locked in place, energy wasted on the wrong options.

A glance down at the notepad, one last check. One last run through of his plan to cement in his mind how this was supposed to play out. He moved to the open door of the helicopter, squinting against the afternoon sun. Chugging along below was a train of many, many carts. Henry could not deny the fact that his eyes widened and breath hitched at the sight of an entire cart made out of gold. Immediately his mind began to chant of how much he wanted it, he needed it, he had to have it or he would absolutely die.

Henry rolled his shoulders, forcibly wrenching his mind from that well worn gutter in his head. Later, he could snatch some during the chaos of all the Toppats being arrested. "I'll move in a bit closer and then we can get started." Hearing the other speak helped Henry's attention further shift to the front of the train, away from the gleaming and glistening and enticing golden cart. The helicopter lurched momentarily as it began to move forward. Options steadily began to filter in, and he again glanced to his notepad. He set it down on the floor and moved forward, leaning out of the open doorway. One hand held on to the side of the door, and the other fiddled with the earpiece Charles had given him. "Just give me the signal and I'll move in for the next phase of the plan."

One thumbs up administered to the pilot and the extension of mechanical wings later, and Henry allowed himself to free fall from the helicopter. That golden cart's details became more and more evident the closer he flew, able to glide for a while before finally having to engage the engines. Henry extended his mechanical hand, watching it morph swiftly into his chosen weapon for this task. A flail allowed for Henry to use the momentum and spin in the air, and slammed into the conductor's cart. The rest of the train followed suit, crumpling up and spiraling off the tracks. 

The caravan that had been following alongside the train also came to a halt. Landing on the ground and pulling his wings back into his spine, a hand raised as a grey truck started driving right for him. He spun his hand around, flail swinging rapidly overhead. The truck tried to skid to a halt, the noise of dirt and tires overwhelming. "Wait a minute, is that-" The person on the back of the truck had begun to speak, but there was absolutely no way Henry was about to stand still and allow the truck to hit him. Henry leaped to the side and swung, smacking the truck with the flail. It went flying towards the still crashing train, taking the gun that had been mounted on it and the Toppats with it.

One of the carts in the train rumbled briefly, and out extended a canon. Sword canon, the person manning it squinting against the afternoon sun and the jungle heat. Henry jerked upwards. This was another option moment, and the correct choice obviously happened to be snagging one of those swords as it went zipping by. Flail turned into a normal hand once again, and extended forward to grab one of the swords. As more swords were fired towards him, he spun around once and threw the blade at the Toppat. Nailing them, Henry watched as another truck came rolling up. Slower pace than the first, and Henry braced himself to leap out of the way with agility from the gun that was mounted on the back.

  
"Is that Henry?" The Toppat that was in the back of the truck commented, eyes wide. "I can't believe it! I could've sworn that report said that you died!" The Toppat member slid off the truck, slowly approaching the cybernetic thief. "Reginald told us about the incident at the Wall. He said he couldn't catch you." Slow and steady the other moved, Henry's form remaining tense.

" _I think the caravan's pulling in close. I can probably get them all in the field now._ " Charles' voice came over the ear piece, a little bit odd since most of the other's words had been delivered face-to-face. An oddity of this timeline, but not something that he needed to look in to at the time. " _You gonna give me the signal?_ " The pilot then continued.

"He lied." Henry could barely sputter out the words. Fury scratched its nasty claws against him, and he pointed his mechanical hand at the train. He was unable to shout, unable to voice the sheer anger that hearing the other's name brought to him. A charged shot was prepared, and blasted the train to send it further off the tracks. "He _lied_ ," Henry restated, narrowed gaze turning back to the Toppat caravan member. A cough broke from him, momentarily allowing his head to ease from the infuriated red haze that it had settled in.

" _Wow, that was a pretty massive explosion right there. Was that the signal? Dropping the field!_ " Henry felt his teeth grit together, watching the Toppat member scramble away. The Toppats didn't deserve sympathy. Traitorous, backstabbers who claimed to be a family? He couldn't stand it. Now they were all contained - or were going to be. The cybernetic thief looked upwards, watching something shoot off from the helicopter above. The internal struggle was grand, he wanted to lift them up one by one and drop them, drop them-

The noise of the barrier forming snapped him from his thoughts again. Nearby a Toppat was firing rounds into the blue hued bubble to little avail. Extending his arm and delivering a punch was easy, and it helped to bring him more resolve. Somewhat. Henry wasn't about to find out the hard way if the barrier could be defeated as easily as a couple rounds being fired into it. Henry pulled his hand back close, and stepped away from the Toppat clan members that were doing their best to escape. With the train out of commission and the Toppat forces scattered, perhaps he could take the edge off with something a little more up his alley. 

Sly eyes turned to the golden money cart. It had been near the front of the train, severely dented and battered. Golden coins were spread out around it. Ease settled into the thief as he strode over, plucking up a golden coin from the ground. Shiny, shimmering, it satiated a part of him in a way that throwing Reginald off the airship had not. He tucked the coin away, and picked up a few more. He didn't need wealth right now, his mind began to say, before another thought blindsided him. How late was his rent now? He didn't have a job! Who would even hire him now that he was fitted with advanced technology - and after being the leader of the Toppat clan. Suddenly that desire began to press forth, and he slunk closer to the cart. Just a few, just enough to get him on his feet, he needed this, he needed it terribly.

" _Alright! Backup is moving in. This'll be the last of the Toppat clan getting hauled off._ ' Charles' voice sounded over the earpiece, causing for Henry to flinch. He looked upwards, taking note of the air around him. No, the other couldn't see what he was doing, which would be for the better. He didn't want to have to explain himself stealing these goodies, things that would give him the slightest form of a normal life possible after this was all over with. It wouldn't ever be normal, would it. The thought made him wince, stuffing one last handful away before darting away from the scene of his theft.

Henry made a small wave of his metallic hand, before extending his wings from his back once again. Then he shot upwards, not having to worry about the grounded barrier. Back to the helicopter he went, landing in the open doorway. A jagged sputter as he teetered and nearly fell out of the flying vehicle, but managed to catch himself. Not that it would matter if he fell now, since his wings could easily catch him once again. "That was a pretty good plan you, you had there!" Charles said as he spun in his seat to look at Henry.

A thumbs up was given, before then a gesture made down to the barrier. "Oh, the barrier? It'll stay there for a few hours. Top of the line containment stuff, prototype though." The pilot turned back to the controls, leaning back in his seat. "So. While they're rounding everyone up, whatcha wanna talk about?"

Immediately Henry felt exasperation claw at him. Twice now he had asked the pilot about the theory that Galeforce had mentioned. Now the other was pushing it off once again? Such would not fly, and the thief snagged his discarded notepad before he strode closer to the other. No need to speak, just giving the other an expectant look. Then he began to scribble, shoving the notepad into the other's face. ' _Your theory_.' 

Charles took a moment to spare the time to read the other's note. Again the other's face turned read, warranting a frown from Henry. What _was_ that about. If the other's theory happened to be embarrassing, then so be it. "I'll admit that it's uh, it's a bit of a stretch," he began with a vague gesture of his hand. "Y'see, Galeforce had offered to pardon you for all your crimes and stuff, yea? I had a... really weird dream, the night before he sent for you to be captured. That you'd go in and, and we'd work together to take down the airship. You took the plastic ball instead of the ear piece, though. And then there was no way for us to know if something happened on board."

Henry thoughtfully hummed, a slow nod of his head showing that thus far the theory made sense. Sounded like he'd picked a different option than what the other had hoped for. A squint of his eyes followed suit, staring at the pilot some more. Dreams about options? It had to be mission jitters, or whatever the true terminology that the military used for it. There was no way someone else knew about his foresight. As far as he knew, he was the only one with such an ability. He bit his cheek, nodding his head to prompt the other to continue.

"So, I heard that you stole the, the Tunisian diamond, right? The Center for Chaos Containment even had to get involved during that fiasco, right? I, I read that report over a few times. I couldn't believe a jewelry heist was strong enough to prompt them into action." Chaos containment was foreign to him, and Henry decided to reach out with his foresight to glean whatever information it had for him. A center below the desert, near where he threw the dummies. People clad in metallic armor swooping down, striking government and Toppat alike. Henry had a ruby with him, somehow, and with a blink of his eyes he was back to staring down at Charles. "Anyways. I figured that if you managed to alert the Center of Chaos Containment, the Toppats probably bribed you into becoming their leader. Like, they'd take the diamond from you if you didn't join them or something."

  
Reasonable, Henry supposed. He nodded again, crossing his arms. The helicopter was quite chilly now that he was standing still. He hated the cold now, how it dug in and refused to budge. Little way for him to warm himself, a brief shiver taking over. "Then you became the leader of the Toppats, right? And you wound up at the Wall. It sounded like a pretty elaborate scheme to me, framing you as the leader so the real one could snatch control back." The other's grip tightened on the controls, a hand raising up to his ear piece. "Hold on a sec. Yea, he's right here with me. Mission complete, I'm pretty sure." A pause, more noise coming from the other's headset before then falling silent. "I think the general wants to talk to you, so I'm gonna head in for a landing." A sigh of relief from the pilot, a smile on his face. "Man, I can't even begin to imagine how great it is to fly on your own. You should-" Charles abruptly cut off, coughing, shaking his head. "Nevermind that."

Suspicious, but Henry supposed that Charles had to be given the benefit of the doubt. Frankly, seeing the other as a threat was a bit of a hard reach. Once the helicopter landed, Henry hopped back to the ground. He felt a slight ache springing up in his remaining organic shoulder, warranting a small grunt. There was Galeforce, and Price. What an utter suckup, the thief thought as his eyes flickered to the paper that Rupert happened to be holding. "Now, I know we said that we were going to pardon you," Galeforce said, and immediately Henry's mind sank to a long drawn out string of 'betrayed again, betrayed again'. If the general dared to cross him, the other would wind up sorry, and incredibly so. Galeforce's gaze turned to the cockpit of Charles' helicopter. "But I think we're going to need to keep an eye on you for a bit longer. You stay around for a while, show us that you really aren't a Toppat anymore, and you'll be good to go."

_Bullshit_ , Henry thought as his fists gripped tightly together. Teeth gritting, he nodded his head, doing his damn best to show how absolutely infuriated he was by this change of plans. "Charlie here will be making sure you stay on your best behavior." A pointed finger went over Henry's shoulder. Charles had left the helicopter, coming to stand next to the Thief.

"You can count on- on me, general." Charles shuffled closer to Henry, and he found his arms crossing in fury. This was bullshit on so many different levels. How _dare_ the general have the nerve to smirk at him as he turned to walk away to where the rest of the Toppats were being round up? He ought to- "C'mon Henry, let's get back to the base. I don't think it'd be good for you to go shorting out on me- on us, on us again." The pilot's words snapped Henry's attention. He watched the government officer walk further and further away. Fine. Fine. Galeforce had escaped his wrath this time. Henry would be certain that if this goose chase of a pardon continued longer, though, that he'd see it fit to meet an abrupt end. "Great. Let's get back in the helicopter."

Henry didn't realize Charles had his metallic hand in his own until he moved back to the pilot seat. His hand raised up to stare, flexing his fingers. Slowly the gears in his mind began to turn, and his eyes settled on the pilot. "Hm."


	4. Chapter 4

Henry was going to lose his mind. He'd lost it years ago when he'd begun to sink into a life of thievery (or so some would say), but now it would be doubly lost. Cable plugged into the back of his neck, stuck in a room without being able to leave? It irritated him to absolutely no end. Since the last time he'd been in this room sensors had been added, and he was pretty sure one of those happened to be a camera. Watching him. Whatever god was out there really loved to poke at him, if his first theft's failure and being caught on camera was to haunt him until he finally gave up and let breath leave him. He debated two options, leaving the camera be or blasting it off the wall. He chose the former, even if it meant its presence continued to irk him.

With Charles assigned to watch him - babysit him, Henry bitterly thought - he was unable to leave the room without the pilot's presence. The other being out on a mission left the thief bored out of his mind. The mind which was currently lost, Henry swiftly reminded himself. Sketches on his notepad began to vastly outnumber the words that were present, doing anything possible to keep his mind turning and settled so he didn't start thinking wonderful thoughts about how easy it would be with his new mechanical strength to blast apart the government base. He had nothing better to do unless he wanted to sleep (or blow up the base), but frankly sleep would be just as boring as waiting for a cell transfer. He'd already done that once, but all of his current options led to waiting and waiting. Unless he dared to try to make a run for it (and blow up the base), in which case he could kiss his pardon goodbye.

Perhaps he should devote his time to something more worthwhile, like trying to force his foresight to its upper limits to try and see what was going on around the base. The opportunity had passed as quickly as the realization came when the door opened and two government personnel walked in. Deciding that he might as well use it while it's still in the forefront of his mind, he reaches out and claws for whatever information he can manage to grab. Norm Hexter, sitting below the rocket with an EMP being primed. Henry with his top hat (he felt a needle in his chest and a phantom feeling of it currently on his head) swooped down to grab the nefarious device. Norm was wearing a helmet, just as his foresight pictured him to in a scene of another time, another series of choices that he happened to not make. Henry's gaze turned to the other person that was approaching the cot. Andrew Cobbler, a squeak of fear as a giant red tank steamrolled him over. Him riding in a tank to the Toppat's base, being accepted, no frigid water in sight-

Henry found his hands gripping the blankets a bit tighter. Forced to relax as the two came over to one side of the cot, staring down at the thief. "Ah, don't worry about us," Andrew said as he was clearly shuffling something around in his pocket. Did they think that he was blind, that Henry could not see the twitches of fabric of the other's arm and where his hand happened to be located? "We just need to make sure that the charger is working alright with you. It was very hastily made." The thief's eyes squinted with suspicion, and internally he sighed. No peace for him, none at all. His mind was gone thrice over, Henry was sure.

"Shit job done on it, for sure," Norm threw in, earning a loud shush from his companion. "Barely had thirty minutes with whats-his-name staring at me the whole time." Henry couldn't say that he didn't find amusement when his simple reach for a pencil happened to make the two flinch. A smirk was presented onto his face. If there was one thing better than crime, it had to be scaring people with pure intimidating presence. Making a finger-gun motion at a cop to make him drop his gun? It had been the best experience out of that entire day. He reached up with his free hand to yank the cable from his neck, and flung it in Norm's direction. He began to scribble on the notepad, feet kicking at one of the blankets that covered him. It'd been mighty nice of Charles to bring him a bunch of blankets. It helped ease the cold a little.

After he finished writing, he flipped the notepad around for the two men to see. Norm was busy fiddling with the cable, grumbling under his breath. That left Andrew to read over the note. "Charles is out to bring in some supplies. Shouldn't be gone for too much longer. Can't imagine how it feels to be stuck in a room, bored out of your mind, doing nothing." Henry felt his teeth grit a little, and decided that nodding his head in agreement was all he could do in response. How ironic the other's words are. Did that make his mind quadruple lost now? The slip of some shiny object from Andrew to Norm was not lost to the thief. Keen eyes are needed in that occupation, but easily Henry feigned not noticing by tilting his head back to look at the silver roof above.

"There, that should have it working a bit more efficiently," Norm said as he sat more upright. Henry hummed, scribbling around a few of his doodles before flicking his notepad around for the other to see. "Look, I see hundreds of pilots a day. One pilot starting over my shoulder while I work with his glaring red earphones ain't enough to make me concerned." Finally the technician stood, waving a hand for Andrew to follow after him. The two government personnel left the room, leaving Henry once again alone.

Hand swiftly grabbed the charging cable, gently tapping against it with his metal hand. It didn't look all that different from before, but Henry couldn't exactly attest to such. After all, it was hard to take note of the design of what was plugged into the back of his neck where his eyes could not see. He could not keep a groan and exhale of frustration, slowly shaking his head. Already charged, he had no reason to try to find out the immediate effects of whatever it was they added. It could have been harmless, Henry considered, but them trying to hide something clearly meant it would be something that he did not like. One did not sneak things past the ex leader of the world's greatest criminal organization.

His headache is back, Henry bluntly noticed. Rubbing his forehead with his normal hand, his feet swing over the side of the bed. Standing, then pacing. Something to do, anything to do. Something is tugging at his attention, and he can't figure out what it is until the thoughts begin to barrel into him as fast as it had when he'd first awoken on a boat. Dark room, singular light, captured again, waiting and waiting for a cell transfer. Now he knew what thought had prompted this sudden surge of energy, and he can feel the electricity crackle in his spine. A red headed woman next to him in his cell, them taking down two guards, the thought sprawling further and further until it settles on a face.

He'd gotten his revenge against the Toppats, but he had not exacted his revenge on the people who had put him in such a scenario. Rubbing a shoulder, he begins stomping down the heat of fury that overtakes the cold momentarily. Those were people doing their jobs, they'd kidnapped him for being the world's greatest crime leader. Stomping it down, mechanical hand gripping tight. They hadn't kidnapped him after he'd been pardoned. It'd been legal, it'd been legal, _it had been-_

"Hey Henry!" Jerking his head around so fast that he thought he'd fall over, his blue eyes fell onto Charles. The pilot stood in the open doorway, some carryout food bags in each of his hands. "I thought that you'd like something to eat considering you didn't eat too much before the mission. I didn't know what you'd want, so I just grabbed some generic stuff." Charles moved to the table, Henry following suit so that he once again was sitting on the bed. He could feel the internal clock of his mind ticking again, albeit slower now that he wasn't alone in his descent into madness. "I see you've been using your notepad a lot! Can- could I see those drawings?" 

First off, Henry doesn't know how to categorize the feeling that springs up at the other's question. His hands raise briefly, uncertain of what to do in the current situation. Nobody had ever asked to see his doodles before - there was nobody to even look at them beforehand either considering how he lived alone. He shrugged, picking up the notepad and setting it on the table. Henry moved on to open up the bag, seeing what it was that Charles had brought in. Tacos? Squinting, he picks up one of the food items covered in silver material, slowly beginning to unwrap it.

A plain beef taco, not that Henry would complain. The mere thought of eating seemed to trigger an avalanche, and swiftly he found himself scarfing down the taco at record speeds. "This is a pretty good helicopter doodle you got here," Charles said, causing for Henry to lift his head from his meal. The other's face was red again. How, Henry knew not, considering how he felt rather cold in the room. Yet again, he'd been cold in the jungle too. If he was going to have to get used to always being cold, then he was going to have to find a way to cheat out of it. "I had to fly for _ages_ to find a decent taco place. The first one I went to didn't even have cheese!"

That comment made Henry sputter and almost spit out the cheek full of food he had been munching on. He coughed a little, not that he figured he could choke anymore considering metal made up his entire midsection. That metal included his neck, and he really didn't want to bother thinking about the workings of how he was able to eat at the time. His foresight, ever helpful, began to gesture rapidly in metaphorical fashion the the slippery slope which was that debate. Henry slammed that mental door and returned to his meal.

"Who came in here?" The question was rather abrupt, and Charles flipped the notepad around to show where Henry had written last. Swallowing the last mouthful of the taco, Henry reached for his pencil before pausing. He shouldn't know their names. Glad that he'd caught his error, he decided to do his best to doodle down the other two's appearances. "Yea that... that doesn't really help much," Charles admitted. Henry could only shrug, before a thumb gestured to the second bag of food that had been brought in. "Oh, that's just um. That's just a back up in case you didn't like the tacos. Or were allergic. I don't know, I'm not an engineer. They're good, right? I ate mine on the way back here."

Despite his words, Charles reached and snagged a taco out of the bag and began to unwrap it. With his hunger no longer taking up the front of his thoughts, he begins to write on the notepad again. "It was a super simple supply run, yea," Charles answered as he took a pause between bites. "Needed to bring some supplies to the team that's hauling off the rest of the Toppat train's stuff."

  
That swiftly perked Henry's interest, even if he tried to keep it hidden by keeping his gaze on the wrapper of the taco he'd eaten. All those shiny bits that he'd collected and were currently stashed in the underside of his pillow were good, but nothing would compare to if he managed to grab that entire golden cart and its riches. A twitch rippled through his mechanical hand, and he slid it beneath the table to keep the twitchy desire hidden. "So, I was wondering," the pilot began, an odd tone to the other's words. It caught Henry's attention, allowing his mind to drift from theft again. "Since I'm supposed to uh, to watch you- not in the creepy way," he sputtered out swiftly, hand waving sharply. "Supervise. Supervise you, yeah. You wanna walk around the base tomorrow? I'd say today but it's getting a little late. Not that you can tell, there's no cluck in here. Huh. Kinda weird."

Odd request, Henry supposed. Normal hand gently tapping against his chin, he then began to write on the notepad. If he had to stay in this room any longer he was going to lose his mind. He flipped the paper around, metallic hand raising to drill against the table. He was really having to squish his words in around all the doodles. Henry didn't want to waste any space on the paper. In hindsight, perhaps doodling all over the notepad wasn't the best idea. "Oh. Uh. Sure! We can do a small walk right now. Sure, sounds like a great plan." A nod of his head, an adjustment of his headset, and then the pilot and thief were at the door of the room.

As they strode out, Henry silently rotated his mechanical hand to stick up the middle finger. 

Government bases were something Henry had researched during his brief time as the Toppat clan's leader. It stung to think about it, but he could not keep those thoughts from bubbling in his head. Charles moves slowly by his side, his hands resting in his pockets. It was warmer outside than it was in the room, and so Henry really had no idea for why the other's face was still reddened. The other could possibly be too warm in his jacket, and that was the only conclusion Henry could find. It felt good to stretch his legs, especially after the pacing he had undergone earlier.

"So," Charles broke the silence after only a few moments, rounding a corner. It seemed normal for the pilot to be rather chatty, but suspicion fell whenever he tried to grasp what sort of tone was behind the other's words. It was odd, considering normally it was an open and shut case for reading other people. Finding nothing else to say, Charles swiftly fell prey to the silence again. Henry wasn't about to break it. However, in the ecosystem of conversation it seemed that Charles was willing to fight to remain on top. "I know it's probably weird, being in a government base after being the leader of the Toppat clan."

It was then Henry realized he'd forgotten his notepad back in his room. By no means was he about to walk all the way back there just to pick it up, especially considering that Charles was asking a pretty simple 'yes' or 'no' question. Nodding his head seemed to satisfy Charles' inquiry, and the other rolled his shoulders. "Yea, probably super weird. Couldn't be weirder." A small laugh, a chuckle, and again Henry feels a prickle as he can't figure out what the emotion behind the noise. Why it annoys him he can't figure out, and it makes his headache curl it's claws in.

The pathway is rocky, and Henry can't help but finally notice how weird it is to walk with a mechanical spine. His head is held rather firmly, and it takes effort to contort where it used to be natural. It was going to take some getting used to. He'd just gotten used to being well set off, then the leader of the Toppat clan, and then he'd been betrayed- and once again Henry stomping down those thoughts has to be done. "Galeforce is giving me a bit of time off tomorrow," Charles said as they rounded another corner, heading back to where Henry was being kept. Near a generator, Henry noticed. Made sense considering how he needed to be charged. "We can go and grab breakfast and do another walk, if- if that's alright with you?"

Another nod. A fist pump did not go unnoticed by Henry, but acknowledgement was swept under the rug. Entering the room, it was as untouched as when the two left. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then!" A wave, and then the pilot was gone. Henry began to move back towards the bed, but not before a shout of 'yes' sounded from outside. Henry shook his head and rolled his eyes, moving back over to the bed. Hand grabbed the cable, and a brief struggle was avoided. Magnets? It felt like it now easily clinked against his neck, hooking up. He can feel a surge of energy, and he stretches out his organic hand.

A long stare is given to his mechanical hand before the thief laid down. Adjusting the blankets, moving his pillow, being extra careful because he sure as hell does not want that camera in the room to notice. Still uncomfortable with falling asleep. The bed is not comfortable, and surprisingly a pillow with gold beneath it isn't that comfortable either. Finally, he manages to fall asleep, and in stark contrast to how long it took to fall asleep, it takes far less time to wake back up.

No, he is not awake, and he knew this very well. Asleep. He was sleeping, and yet even then he was not allowed peace of the cold. It felt like teeth, and even in his sleep was part of his body covered by metal. Location was fuzzy, but he can make out the face of a traitor. "You don't have to do this," Reginald said within the world of dreams. Henry demanded fury to overtake the frigid cold. It doesn't manage to overtake it, not as metal hand meets flesh, not as he pummels, not as he exacts his revenge on loop ad infinite. "I knew the Wall would be hunting down the Toppat leader soon," the traitor said despite Henry clearly seeing a blade going right through his chest. "You're a pawn, Henry. You still are. A pawn to me, and now a pawn to the government. You're a shackled bird."

He was not about to listen to the words of a traitor, though. Without a right hand, Reginald is easy to dispose of again and again. Dreams were odd in the vein of having control, and yet having none. He couldn't dream of anything actually pleasant. No, instead it had to loop between his plummet into the arctic ocean, staring and reaching for Reginald's hand, and his metallic hand and spine making swift work of him over and over again. It was exhausting, and Henry was supposed to be _sleeping_. 

Then there was immense warmth, and Henry blinked awake a second time and was greeted with the grey walls of the ceiling. Trying to turn around around, he felt his face pale a little. Henry is stuck, and it felt oddly heavy for someone who's entire spine was constructed of metal. Sitting upright, his face scrunched at the sight of a sticky note hanging loosely off the end of the table's edge. ' _Found an extra blanket, figured you'd need it - charles_ '. Henry didn't understand why the other needed a note, considering that only now he was noticing the pilot asleep at the table next to the cot. For a brief moment, his mind is thrown down another rabbit hole. How considerate. Why was he so considerate to him? It was so suspicious, so odd, and it didn't make any sense. How he hadn't noticed the pilot upon initially waking up was rather upsetting. Grumbling, Henry tried to lay back down and hide beneath the blankets. The warmth was swiftly fading when the blankets no longer covered him. An extra two blankets definitely explained the heavier weight present.

Laying there motionless, beginning to slip back into slumber. Henry's eyes briefly crack open as the chair Charles had been sitting on creaks. The pilot stands up, flipping through a book that he was holding. The cover was just barely tilted enough to where squinted eyes couldn't read the lettering. A finger tapped against a page, and then one of Charles' hands lifted away from him. Trembling briefly, before sighing. "No, this'll work better as a great surprise later." He strolled out of the room, and took the book with him.

Henry would have sat back up, and perhaps contemplated the other's words as he had yesterday. Frankly sleep was far more enticing in the current moment. The energy needed to make sure he was still plugged in was exhausting enough. He drifted off again, and Henry was thankful that no more dreams would plague him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the wait! I happened to get caught up in the Among Us craze and it distracted me from completing this chapter, as well as some offshoot one shots you might've seen in the stickmin tag. Thanks to everyone who's left comments and kudos, it helps me keep on writing! I try to respond to all comments right after I post a chapter, and I hope you'll stick around for future installments!


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